Abstract
In the Japanese silk-reeling industry, most workers involved in the actual reeling process were female. The extraction of the filament from the cocoon, and in particular twisting it together with others to form a single unbroken thread, remained largely unmechanized tasks. This case study of Gunze Silk Mfg. Co., Ltd. will focus on technological change and female labor in this industry. The multi-ends reeling machine had been invented by Naosaburo MINORIKAWA as early as 1903, but it was not utilized until the 1920s. It came into general use in the subsequent decade, when America's demand for silk changed from textiles to stockings. How did the rapid spread of the machine in silk reeling industry change the factory system? In conclusion, the process of the mechanization was as follows. First, its occurrence was rapid and brought about the reduction of male supervisors. Second, its achievement was closely linked to the transformation of the female labor market. The impact of technological change was limited, and the core task of workers was virtually unchanged. Silk reeling continued to be an operation in which workers were expected to acquire and possess skills.
